Russian and European diplomats discuss Syrian settlement

MOSCOW, November 25 /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is the Russian president’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, met Helga Schmid, the deputy secretary-general for political affairs of the European External Action Service, in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The sides discussed in detail the current situation in Syria with the focus on prospects of political settlement of the Syrian crisis in the context of decisions made by the Syria International Support Group at a meeting in Vienna on November 14," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Bogdanov and Helga Schmid, the ministry went on to say, exchanged views on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement in the light of efforts made in this direction by the Middle East ‘quartet’ of international brokers, comprising Russia, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations.